Upstairs I lay Lyric in the bed and cover her with blankets, before crawling into the space next to her. I don’t get under the covers so I won’t wake her when I get up in a couple of hours. Instead, my arm slings around her waist and I bring her body close to mine, inhaling her smell and the feel of her silky hair against my cheek. I can’t lose her, which means Lukas Deveroix is out of time.
Chapter 19
Lyric
“Lyric, baby,” Colt whispers, his lips trailing against my skin. I’m surrounded by his warmth, and feeling more at peace than I have in years. My eyes open slowly and I can see the light shining through the blinds.
“What time is it?” I ask, moving to sit up.
“About seven,” he says, running his hands over my arms. “You don’t have to get up right now. Sleep in, relax.”
I turn to him and notice that he’s dressed, jeans and a T-shirt with a jacket on. “Are you leaving?”
His fingers brush against my cheek as he pushes my hair back behind my shoulder. “I am. I’m tracking him today. I can’t wait anymore.”
“Colt.” I reach for him, suddenly feeling terrified about what could happen. Lukas is unhinged. When I asked for the club’s help, I knew it could be dangerous, and guilt was already eating me alive when they agreed to help me.
“I’ll be fine.” His hands frame my face, and he kisses me gently. “I’m coming home to you. Don’t worry about me. While I’m gone today, Zane will be here.”
My eyes widen and I’m lost for words. “He will?”
Colt holds my gaze, reading my soul and the worries I keep hidden there. “He wants to be here, Lyric. The guy is just as torn up about your friendship as you are. He knows what he did and he’s been paying for it since I asked him to lie to you.”
My heart squeezes in response to his words. Colt and I have made so much progress that I almost forget sometimes. Having Zane around all day isn’t something I can escape from or ignore. I owe it to my teenage self to finally have the real discussion we should have had back then. Just like with Colt, I know why Zane did what he did. He was one of my best friends too, but his loyalty was always to Colt. Without Zane, I’m not sure who would have been there for him when he needed someone.
My lips turn up in a smile. I’m hesitant still, but I can make this work. “Don’t worry about us. I’ll be fine and I promise you’ll still have your best friend in one piece when you get back.”
Colt laughs and the sound vibrates in his chest. I feel it against my own when he hugs me. He slides me his phone. “Use this today in case you want to call your parents about your phone. I’ll see you later, beautiful girl. Don’t have too much fun without me today.”
I roll my eyes, taking the phone from him. He knows damn well I have very little to do while I’m stuck here. Besides catching up with my clients and maybe doing some virtual therapy sessions on the laptop that Colt got me to replace the one Lukas broke, there isn’t much else to do. I sound like such a baby. Complaining about having an endless supply of streaming services to watch shows and movies on, a reading app downloaded, and all the food and ice cream I could want. Plus, I have Colt Street to look at daily, and he likes to supply me with orgasms. Life is good, and here I am whining because I can’t leave the house. Someday, when life goes back to normal, I’m going to want this back.
With one last kiss on my forehead Colt leaves and I decide it's not worth it to keep putting off the inevitable. I wash up and change into my usual lounge leggings and a T-shirt before heading downstairs. It's still relatively quiet, and I tiptoe toward the living room. Zane is passed out on the couch, and I vaguely remember them talking last night about changing shifts all night to monitor the security cameras. There's a pinch in my heart knowing he’s probably exhausted after being up most of the night for me.
I move quietly back to the kitchen, set on making breakfast for us when I see the newest bouquet. The vibrant blue petals of the Forget Me Nots hold my attention, pulling me closer. A smile tugs at my lips when I reach for the card and breathe in their fragrance. I open the card and fight the sting of new, happy tears.
I think these ones are pretty self-explanatory. You’re the love of my life. You always have been, baby.
Love, Colt
Butterflies swoop in my stomach and my heart aches. It feels so full of love, of promise, of hope. I want this; I want him and I’m scared shitless. I never want to be the girl who lets a man betray her that way. I changed my life for him once; I bore the brunt of that mistake on my own. I wouldn’t change how things worked out because in Colt’s absence, I found myself and Jordan. He is also an important part of my history, one that I think Colt understands.
“He never stopped loving you.” Zane’s voice is quiet, hesitant while he stands in the archway, watching me and looking at the flowers. “When we were in the desert, surrounded by all thatsand, not sure if we would live, we talked about you. How you would think it was stupid being there. Or how you would hug us when we got back.”
My throat tightens with emotion and the tears fall down my cheeks.
“Those first years went by so fast, but anytime we were deployed, he would ask me to take care of his last wishes. If he died, he had two envelopes. One for AJ and one for you. Even after five, eight, ten years, he still wanted you to know if he died that he loved you and that he was sorry.”
God, it feels like my chest is caving in. I can’t breathe from the hurt and the longing I feel. I reach for Zane and he wraps his arms around me. My body is wracked with sobs, the emotions too strong for me to contain. I want to hit Colt. I also want to hug him. My heart wants to be his, even knowing he was the one to break it in the first place because he is now the one bringing it back to life.
“I’m sorry, Lyric,” Zane whispers against my hair, and I squeeze my old friend tight.
“You’re forgiven, but you have some groveling to do.” I chuckle, and the noise is watery, but he laughs with me anyway.
Zane pulls back and bops me on the nose. “You’ve always had a heart of gold, Lyric Taylor. I don’t deserve your forgiveness and neither does my best friend, but I’m going to work every day to prove I’m a better person than I was at eighteen. Colt is my buddy first, but I knew how much pain you were in and that wasn’t fair to you.”
“You both hurt me,” I agree with him. We’re not ignoring that and I’m glad it’s now in the open. “But I do forgive you for making stupid mistakes when you were kids. Just like I did. I see you now, Zane, and that man seems like a nice guy. Maybe when I get to know him, trust him, maybe we’ll be really good friends again.”
His smile is wide and contagious until I’m smiling the same as him. “Got nothing but time, Taylor.”
